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Air Canada Plane Mistakenly Lines Up to Land on SFO Taxiway

An Air Canada plane on Friday inadvertently lined up to land on a taxiway at San Francisco International Airport before being turned away by an air traffic controller, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. (Published Monday, July 10, 2017)

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into an Air Canada plane which narrowly averted an aviation disaster after almost landing on a crowded taxiway instead of its designated runway at San Francisco International Airport Friday, the agency confirmed Tuesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the close call, which they described as "rare," and has the aviation industry buzzing. The NTSB, an independent U.S. federal government agency charged with determining the probable cause of accidents and promoting transportation safety, launched their investigation on July 7, the same day the incident took place. Investigators are not yet on the ground at SFO, but are expected to arrive in the next few days.

Airbus A320 had been cleared to land on Runway 28R just before midnight, but the pilot inadvertently "lined up" to land on Taxiway C, which runs parallel to Runway 28R, according to a statement from Federal Aviation Administration officials.

ANIMATION: Close Call Involving Air Canada Flight at SFO

An animation that is based on real data from the Air Canada flight shows just how close the pilot was to landing in the wrong area just before midnight Friday at San Francisco International Airport. You can see the flight approaching the airport and then you see the altitude drop as the plane makes a beeline for a taxiway.

(Published Wednesday, July 12, 2017)

In an audio recording of conversations between air traffic control and pilots, the Air Canada pilot tells air traffic control he sees other lights on the runway before being told there are no other planes on 28R. When an air traffic controller realizes the plane was headed for the taxiway, he prompts the plane to abort its landing attempt and try again.

A United Airlines pilot is heard saying "United One, Air Canada just flew directly over us."

There were four aircraft lined up on Taxiway C loaded with passengers and fuel at the time of the incident, waiting for departure, according to the FAA. An aviation expert told the Mercury News the "near miss" could have been the worst aviation disaster in history.

In a statement, Air Canada said they were also investigating the incident: "Air Canada flight AC759 from Toronto was preparing to land at San Francisco airport Friday night when the aircraft initiated a go-around.

"The aircraft landed normally without incident. We are still investigating the circumstances and therefore have no additional information to offer."

The FAA is investigating a close call at San Francisco Int'l where an Air Canada flight nearly landed on a taxiway filled w/ passenger jets. pic.twitter.com/A8mxz6fDEt